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How To Categorize Links

Practical approach to classify links with folders and tags • Aug 31

Why classification is hard ​

One website can belong to multiple categories at the same time. Google is a good example:

  • As a company, it belongs to business.
  • As products, it spans maps, video, education, communication, and more.
  • As content, each service may fit a different topic.

If you classify only by company, you lose topic context. If you classify only by topic, you lose ownership context.

Practical model: folders + tags ​

The most flexible system is:

  1. Use folders for the primary dimension (usually topic or use case).
  2. Use tags for secondary dimensions (company, format, platform, region, status).

Example:

  • Put Google Maps under World > Maps.
  • Put YouTube under Net > Content > Video Platforms.
  • Add tags like #company/google, #format/video, #type/platform.

This keeps your tree clean while still allowing cross-category search.

Sorting dimensions you can use ​

Depending on your workflow, you can sort or filter links by:

  • Alphabetical order
  • Date added
  • Visit frequency
  • Region / language
  • Content type
  • Storage model (cloud/local)
  • Performance or loading speed
  • Personal score / priority

Use only the dimensions you can maintain consistently. A simple system that you keep updated always beats a perfect system you abandon.

Classification principles ​

  • Go from general to specific.
  • Keep folder depth reasonable (usually 2 to 4 levels).
  • Reuse tags instead of creating near-duplicates.
  • Favor predictable naming over clever naming.

The web is too broad for one strict hierarchy. Tags are the bridge that makes a hierarchical tree practical at scale.

Goal ​

With a well-structured collection of links, you can build a directory that is easier to navigate, easier to maintain, and much more useful for research and learning.

Classification is personal, so your system should match how you think. The best bookmark manager is the one that supports your mental model and can still scale to thousands of links.

Tools that fit this approach ​

For most people Raindrop.io is the quickest way to apply these ideas: it has fast search, smart tags, and great browser extensions. If you prefer to self-host, Linkwarden gives you folders, tags, and saved snapshots without relying on a cloud service.

Pick one, define a simple folder tree, and add tags consistently. That keeps collections usable even when they grow past thousands of links.